Coin-controlled vending machine



Aug. 4, 1925.

C. H. ECHOLS GOIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE EIM/vanto@ Z MM50/L5;

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Aug. 4, 1925.

C. H. ECHOLS COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE Filed July 15, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet SW1/Moz,

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C. H. ECHOLS COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE 1924 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 15 Patented Aug. 4, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

CHARLES H. ECHOLS, OF BALTIMORE. MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 PAULv IR. SPICKARD, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

COIN-CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

Application led July 15, 1924. Serial No. 726,115.

To all whom it may concer/n:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. EoHoLs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore city, in the State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled Vending Machines, of which the following is a speciication. y

This invention relates to coin-controlled mechanism, also to vending mechanism, and more specifically, to an improved coin-controlled vending machine.

One object of this invention is to provide an exceedingly simple and comparatively in expensive coin-controlled mechanism which is unfailing in its operation, and which is exceedingly convenient and easllyunder-` stood and manipulated for operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved device of this character with a double-acting coin-controlling mechanism; that is, a mechanism including a handle mounted for movement in opposite directions, and which is coin-controlled for movement in both of said directions.

Another object is to provide a device of this character with an improved double acting vender; that is, an improved mechanism for vending alternately from two tiers or groups of articles or packages to be vended. and delivering the vended goods to a receiveraor delivery tray in sight of the purchaserv who may easily remove the goods from the tray. i

Another object is toprovide a device of this character that has the operating handle, the coin-slot, the delivery tray, and a. window displaying the goods, all arranged on the front or face of the machine with instructions which may refer to each part with which the purchaser has to do; thereby assuring maximum convenience and facility of operation, valso rendering it easy and practical to arrange and combine any numberv of these vending mechanisms in a -unitary structure having acontinuous and unbroken casing in which all the unitary vending mechanisms are contained; so a variety of commodities can thereby be displayed and vended, for instance., chewing gum (different varieties), stick-candy, life-savers, chocolate confections, and other individual or packaged articles of various sizes and shapes. i

Other objects and important features will be pointed out or implied inthe following details of description, in connection withthe accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a front view of a unit including only a single vending mechanism shown in Figs. 3 to 12 inclusive: Fig. 2 is a. right 1 end View of the unit shown in Fig. .1: Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view, the removable cover being omitted, and parts being in horizontal section: Fig. 4 is a central vertical sectional view showing the vending carriage` in its rearby the broken line circles: Fig. 5 is a fragmental sectional view, the section'being 1n the same plane as that of Fig. 4, the vending carriage being in the foremost position, an showing the vending operation nextsucceeding the one shown by Fig. 4: Fi 6 is an,

elevation of the right end of the rame and com-controlled mechanism, a part of the frame or casing being in vertical section,

line 8-8 of Figs. 9 and 10 and between the.

two plates that form the coin-chute: Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view the section being substantially in the plane of line 9-9- of Fig. 4: Fig. 10 is a view, in half section, of the rigid frame structure and the dise pensing carriage, as viewed'from front to rear, the coin-controlled mechanism being shown in full front elevation-z Fig. 11 is a left end view of the structure illustrated by Fig. 10: and Fig. 12 is a perspective view `of the vending carriage.

These drawings were made from a working machine, and Figs. 10 and 11 are drawn to actual scale; Figs. 1 and 2 `being onethird actual size; and Figs. 4' to 9, inclusive, and Fig. 12, being one-half actual scale or size. Referring tothese drawings in detail, in which similar reference characters correspond to sinnlar parts through out the several views: y

The unita-ry vending machine (here illustrated) is preferably composed of the separable units, A, B, C, D, E, F and GG,

Vmost position, the goods being represented tecting the goods and the coins, and may be opened for replenishing the ygoods andremoving the coins: These locks are indicated at e and f, respectively. The advantages,

. of thus constructing machines in unitary sections which are easily assembled and secured to one another so as to form the complete machine, are well known by manufac-4 turers and others. f

The base or pedestal A is recessed to re ceive thev lower ends of the bolts and the nuts which secure the section C on the section B, so that the base-plate 1 (of the part B) lies snugly on the pedestal A and is secured on the latter by means of screws, as indicated. The bolts that hold the parts B and C together are shown at 2 and 3 (Figs. 6, 7 and 8). The part B is shown separately in Figs..10 and 11; and the part lshown, in Fig. 12 (although itself a separable part) is roperl an elementof the section B, as in icated y the numeral 4, and is the vending carriage. The plate 1 has upright bearing plates 5 unitedtherewith, and ,these are provided with parallel and horizontal supporting and confining guides 6 and 7 along which the vending carriage is caused to travel forward and rearward by means of an arm 8 extendingup from a shaft 9 intoa groove or recess 10 of the `carriage. The carriage is formed with walled merchandise receptacles 11 which are o en at their upper and lower ends except w en the lower end of either one or the other is Vpartly closed by two merchandise-supportmg plates 12 whose inner edges are spaced from one another to permit the arm 8 to swing therebetween. The mechandise (as indicated at m in Figs. 4 and 5) rests on these platesor supports 12, and is pushed from either the front or rear edges of these supports, according to whether the merchandise is in the front receptacle or the rear receptacle 11, and in either case, the merchandise falls on a forwardly inclinedl partition 13 which formsthe front and top of the coin-receiving till, -,at the same time serving as an ejector for causing the merchandise to pass (by gravity) into the tray formed by its lowerend and al forwardly and upwardly extending `stop or plate 14, an opening 15 being provided for the merchandise to pass forwardly through. The part 14 is preferably united with the late 1, but is omitted from Fig. 10 toavoi obscuring the lower tition 13.

To prevent la return of the vending vcarriage until it has moved to either itsforward vending position `or. its rearward vendin position, and thus compel it" to vend a ternately from the front and rear tiers (as will presently be shown), I may provide any appropriate form of full-stroke mechanism; and one form is here shown (Figs. 10 and 11), where a toothed segment part of the plate or par- 16 engages with a spring-pressed pawl 17. y

right side of the machine, is an improved form of coin-controlled mechanism, or a substantial part thereof, comprising a disc 21 formed with abutments 22 which may be formed by notching the peripheryof the disc. abutments is an inwardly extending abut- About midway between Vthese ment 23 (Figs. 8, 9 and 10) which is conveniently formed 'by placing a nut on the screw 24 which passes through the disc 21 and through a slot 25 of an o lever 26 which is 'pivoted yat 2 pre erably on a screw or bolt that is secured to the upright plate 5 at the right side of the section B. This lever is provided with a handle 28 that extends forward through an opening or slot 29 of the part C, and is `swmgable up and down in this slot for the 'purpose of imparting rotary movement, forward and backward, to the disc 21 and itssupporting shaft 9. Springpressed pawls 30 are pivoted on the righthand upright 5 in' position to res ctivel cooperate with the abutments 22E; hol ing vthe ldisc' against operating movement until the effective detent is released bythe interposition of a coin of the predetermined size (as will presently beseen). i

A preferably cylindrical coin-support 31 is mounted on the shaft 9,1concentr1c with the axis of the disc and its shaft, and is of such diameter that it holds the coin (here represented by the letter V) with its up r mar 'n `above that of the disc 21. Ke paw s 30 extend inward from `f the disc 21 and are in the path of thecoin V when it is pushed forward orl rearward, by the abut-` ment or pusher 23, when the handle 28 is lowered or raised, and thereby turns the disc forward 0r rearward. Fig. 8 illustratesthe ratin` foregoing, the rear pawl 30 being held out of the path of the rear abutment 22 by the periphery of the coin V. If desired to chan e the mechanism to be controlled by smal er coins, it is only necessary to replace the part 31 with one of larger diameter, or to put a reenforcing band on the part 31. The coins are introduced into the coin slot 32' (Fig. 1) and pass thence through the coin-chute 33 into one of the coin-spaces 34 (Figs. 9 and 10), either before or behind the abutment 23, according to the one of the two starting positions t-he vending mechanism is in. This is illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 In Fig. 6, if the lever 26 is operated by lowering its handle 28, this raises the front pawl 30, and ejects the coin forwardly; whereas, if the coin is in rear of the abutment 23, the raising ofthe handle causes the coin to raise the rear pawl 30, andthe coin is ejected rearwardly.` In either event, the coin falls on a rearwardly inclined coindelivery or guide v34 which is laterally inclined at 35, so that the coin slides through an opening 36 and enters the till from whence it may be removed by opening the closure E, through the opening 37 shown in Figs. 6 and 7 where the closure E is omitted. The coin chute is preferably formed of' two plates 33a and 33h, the latter being formed with a channel embossed therein, the plate 33a being secured by screws (as shown), or by other means, in position to close one side of the channel, thus making it tubular. The part 33a is formed with an apertured lug 33c and a base-flange 33d, the latter being secured by screws or other means to the apertured top of the hood 38 that extends over the uprights 5 and constitutes apart of the casing that encloses the vending mechan'sm and the coin-till. This hood is prefera ly formed with vertical ian'ges 39 (Figs. 4 and 5) turned up from the central opening through which the merchandise passes into the vending carriage.

The section D (Figs. 3,4 and 6) comprises a front wall 40, a. rear wall 41, lateral partit-ions 42 and a longitudinal partition 43, the latter preferably being transparent, and the front partit-ion preferably including a transparent panel 44, so the merchandise can be seen in the compart ments at both sides of the partition 43. As

shown in Fig. 6, the walls 4 0 and 41 are provided with horizontal base iianges seated on the hood 38 and secured by screws. rIhe flange 33 is also secured by a screw.. to the front wall 40, thu-s holding the coin-chutek in registration with the coin-slot, at the same time bracing-the entire structure. The partitions are preferably formed with grooves 45 and 46 in which the glass or other transparent partitions are seated, respectively, and as these grooves are pressed in the sheet material of the partitions, they result in and the front compartment corresponding ridges 45a and 46 (Fig. 6) wh1ch stufen these partitions. The mlddle partition 43 has its top clamped by means of a bolt and nuts, indicated at 47,y drawing the lateral partitions against the edges of the middle partition and thus preventing this partition from becoming accidentally displaced while assembling or while replenishmg the merchandise compartments. The ianges 39 assist the screws in holding the parts C and D in rigid .relation with one another, and the front one of these flanges 38 forms a seat for the lower end of the transparent panel 44. The rear com artment of the section C (back of the pane 43) feeds the articles ofmerchandise to the rear compartment 11 of the vending carriage, of the section C feeds the articles to the front compartment 11 of the vending carriage. The partition 4*L of the vending carriage alternately prevents and permits feeding into its compartments 11, respectively, compartments, by its partition 4a moving under one feeding compartment after moving from under the other feeding compartment.

The end sections GG are secured in place by screws or other appropriate means, and over the tops of these and the sections D, the section F is fitted, and locked by the locking mechanism f (of any appropriate kind) and a clip or other securingmeans 49.

The closure E is provided with the locking mechanism e of any appropriate kind), and the bolt 2 cooperates with this lock for securing the closure (section E) in place.

It is not intended to limit this invention to the exact details of construction here shown, but I may make suchA changes that "l are within the scope of the inventive ideas as implied and claimed.

What I claim as my invention is: l. In a coin-controlled mechanism, the

combination of an oscillatory energy-transmitting member including a coin-seat and an abutment,.means to engage said abutment for controlling movement ofy said member and being disengageable from said abutment by means of a coin on said coin-seat, and an operating lever fulcrumed at one side of a line extending axially from the axis of saidk oscillatorymemher, this 'lever being operatively connected` to said oscillatory member at the other side of said line, sub. stantially as shown.

2. In a coin-controlled mechanism, the

combination of an oscillatory energytransmitting member including a coin-seat and an abutment, a casing in which said member isjournalled, means to engage said abutment for controlling movement of said member and being disengageable from said abutment by a coin on said seat, and a lever fulcrumed on a part of said casing at one from the feeding side of a line extending axially from the axis of said oscillatory member, this lever being operatively connected to said member at theA other side of said line, substantially as shown, the front side of said casing having an opening through which said lever extends outward radially from said line.

3. In .a coin-controlled mechanism, the combination of an oscillatory energytransmitting member including two comseats and two abutments, means to engage the respective abutments for controlling the oscillatory movements of said member and being disengageable from` the respective abutments by a coin on the respective coinseats, and an operating lever fulcrumed at one side of a line extending axially from the axis of said member, said lever being operatively connected to said oscillatory member at the opposite side of said line, substantially as shown.

4. The structure defined by claim v1, said lever having its fulcrum below said line and its engagement with said oscillatory member above said line, this lever havin amanipulative arm extending substantie y horizontally forward in a radial directionv withrespect to the axially extending line.` i

In testimony w ereof, I aix my signature. e y

CHARLES H. ECHOLS. 

